Gastroenterology

With abdominal pain as the most common complaint, digestive disorders in children can range from minor to life threatening, and short to long-term, or chronic. Feeding disorders are common and can have far reaching effects on the nutritional and developmental outcome of children. We treat pediatric patients with a multidisciplinary feeding team, including a gastroenterologist and/or a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in feeding disorders, pediatric dietician, and feeding therapist.

Treating the following conditions

With abdominal pain as the most common complaint, digestive disorders in children can range from minor to life threatening, and short- to long-term or chronic.

• Abdominal pain

• Achalasia

• Biliary atresia

• Intestinal pseudo-obstruction

• Constipation

• Crohn's disease

• Encopresis

• Esophageal Spasm

• Esophagitis

• Failure to Thrive

• Feeding disorders

• Food allergy

• Foreign body removal

• Gas – flatulence

• Gastroesophageal reflux

• Gastroparesis

• Gastroschisis

• GI bleeding

• H. pylori

• Hepatitis C

• Hirschsprung disease

• Imperforate anus

• Inflammatory bowel bisease

• Lactose intolerance

• Liver disease

• Lower GI bleeding

• Meckels Diverticulum

• Omphalocele

• Painful swallowing

• Pancreatitis

• Persistent diarrhea & malabsorption

• Polyposis

• Rumination syndrome

• Short bowel syndrome

• Swallowing disorders

• Ulcerative Colitis

• Upper GI bleeding

Our Team

Robert "Chip" Williams, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterologist

Julie Andrews,RN, DNP, PNP-BC

Feeding Team

Feeding disorders are common and can have far reaching effects on the nutritional and developmental outcome of children. We believe in early intervention with a multidisciplinary team, including a gastroenterologist and/or a pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in feeding disorders, pediatric dietician, and feeding therapist.

We utilize a medical/oro-motor/behavioral approach to feeding disorders to:

• Treat medical conditions that may be causing the aversion
• Utilize behavioral modification techniques when indicated
• Treat oro-motor problems
• Educate families to learn feeding strategies for home

Our team services families across Southeastern North Carolina. We coordinate with primary care providers,
sub-specialists, home health nurses, dieticians, and speech/occupational therapists.

We offer the following testing:

• Modified barium swallow study
• Upper GI series
• Gastric emptying scan
• Ph/Impedence probe
• Endoscopy
• Polysonogram

Minela Fernandez, MD

 Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Director, Feeding Clinics

Brenda Melvin, FNP-CDE

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner